Champion Butterflies - combining photos and graphics

11 November 2010

We may take hundreds of pictures a year, thanks to digital cameras, but only a handful may truly capture the essence of the moment. This young catcher played in and his team ultimately won their Little League Championship game. Once the dust settled and the trophies were examined, it was time to start reliving the highlights through the photographs. His parents thought this was a great shot of him: attentive and ready at the plate surrounded by the umpire and the fans. The catcher looked at it differently. His response was, "You can't see the butterflies in my stomach!"

That got me thinking: maybe we can!

Using Graphics-Toolbox, I framed out an irregular shape where the butterflies were. Then I temporarily moved that section leaving only the white drawing area in its place. I found some simple images of butterflies and used the Pattern Fill function to pour them into the catcher's stomach. Then I replaced the irregular abdomen shape with the Move tool adjusting the Transparency Glide, so we could replace his equipment and still see the butterflies.

Now he is satisfied. He knew he had butterflies, but now the rest of us not only see him, but also feel what he felt. Until futuristic cameras have x-ray or emotion settings that capture the physiological and mental workings of our subjects, let's have fun combining photos and graphics to better depict the intricate emotions and events in our lives.